Back in the fifties and sixties it was really popular to put a texture on ceilings called a popcorn ceiling. One of the remodeling shows I am a big fan of, gave instructions on how to remove this bumpy, ugly, hard to patch popcorn ceiling.
if you are like me, living in a older home with popcorn ceilings and hate them as much as I do, this might just be the home repair you would most like to do. Removing a popcorn ceiling is a very easy job but it is very messy and it is not the kind of project that you can do with moving the furniture from one side of the room to the other as you will be sure to get it all over. First, make sure to clear your room of any, and all furnishings.
I also, must tell you about a tool that I bought to do the job and it turned out to be useless.I paid 16 or so dollars for a scraper on a long pole that you attach a bag to. It was supposed to minimize mess. The scrapings from the ceilings were suppose to go into the bag as you scraped.
It was very hard to get the right angle on this scraper so my son made some pretty bad gouges in the ceiling. The bag filled up alright but it got too heavy and started to tear.
You are better off using a wide blade scraper and a ladder. Less strain on your back and you get a better result.
Hope you enjoy your new and improved ceiling!
Debra Frick
Editor's note: Popcorn Ceiling texture can contain asbestos, make sure to keep your respirator/mask on for removal and clean up. Use moist towels and sponges that you don't mind throwing away to clean up excess dust.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
What is the easiest and safest way to get rid of cottage cheese ceilings?
By Betty
You have to cover the whole room in a big sheet of plastic. Then use a cheap $12 garden pump-sprayer filled with water to saturate the whole ceiling and let sit overnight, then come back and saturate the area you are going to work on again and let that sit for half an hour or so. Then using a large, flat paint-scraper and start scraping the wet popcorn off the ceiling. You should be wearing one of those white paper cover-suits and and a dust mask. Put the white cover-suit into a plastic bag before leaving the room. It also helps if you add a squirt of dish soap to the water you are using to wet the ceiling. A sponge soaked with the wetting-solution can also be used to wet small areas.
More Info & Alternative Ideas:
www.doityourself.com/
Additional Recipes for Wetting Popcorn:
1) Add 1 part of vinegar to 10 parts water.
More Info:
www.popcornforum.com/
2) 1 cup ammonia, 1 cup of fabric softener to 1 gallon of water.
www.ehow.com/
Warning:
At least 50% of popcorn ceilings have asbestos in them. After a house fire, we had to pay the haz-mat guys to come in their white suits and respirators to remove ours. It's safest to first have some of it tested before you subject yourself and your family to the possibly of danger! I would call your local county Health Department and ask them for more info about testing.
* If you decide to go ahead without pre-testing for asbestos, remember that you need to keep the area soaking wet, because once it dries and turns to dust, it can easily be inhaled. Make sure children and pets stay out of this room until the whole room is completely cleaned (ceiling to floor) and there is no possibility of dust! Also, use caution when cleaning out your vacuum cleaner!
How do I determine whether asbestos is in my popcorn ceiling? We are planning to demo it and I want to be safe. I have heard that lab-testing is the only way to see if asbestos is present. I've also found online that since the asbestos ban, there have still been ceilings with it in it (I don't know how).
Does anyone have a specific tip on how to safely demolish popcorn ceiling yourself? And how to determine if it has asbestos? Is lab testing the only way?
By Erin813 from FL
I have "heard" that the times you have to be careful with it is when it is in dry form (like sanding it off). If you wet it, then it gets rid of the air-borne particles that you could inhale. I did my kitchen using a spray bottle and scraped it off but it would be best to ask at your home improvement store if this is correct. I probably read that somewhere and hope I remember right.
Do I just use a paint scraper and then sand the wallboard before repainting?
By Dan S
Popcorn ceilings most often have asbestos in them. Asbestos is carcinogenic. It is dangerous to disturb the popcorn particles. You need to have a small sample checked for asbestos, and if positive for asbestos a special crew needs to be hired. My husband died last year, partially due to asbestos exposure. Please be careful.
With or without asbestos, this is an awful job. You need to get some good advice and instructions about it if you are going to tackle it yourself. Try googling for information, or visit your library for some home improvement books which might have that information.
I live in a manufactured (double-wide) home. I want to remove the popcorn ceilings and paint them. I've seen remodel projects on HGTV, etc., but they never seem to explain the process. Do any of you have the directions?
My understanding is that spraying water on it will soften it and allow it to be scraped away. If it is oil based paint though it might be more difficult. But you just have to take it more slowly and get a start to it any way you can and then spray the edge of the popcorn, not the actual surface, thus getting water UNDER the surface of the oil based paint. Messy messy job and not at all easy on the arms and neck. You are to be commended to even start. Sometimes the popcorn is there for a good reason, i.e. a bad drywalling job in the first place. Putting up firring strips and then a thin and therefore light in weight wallboard to begin anew is not a bad idea. Good luck!
On Sell This House on A&E, they sprayed water on it and the popcorn came right off. They used a wide putty knife to take it off. they started with a hand-held spray bottle of water, but in the end the homeowner got the hose and sprayed the water on the ceiling with the hose. It was much quicker that way. Of course, they had plastic drop cloths over all the walls and the floors.
good luck,
What is the best way to remove the popcorn texture from a ceiling?
By Ken from Phelan, CA
Most popcorn ceilings have asbestos in them and you should not paint or remove them yourself. Have a chip tested.
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Can anyone tell me an easy, or at least fairly easy, way to "un-popcorn" my ceiling? I want to take all the popcorn stuff down and paint it.
Can you scrape off popcorn from a ceiling?
